Fuse cut-out



Oct. 1, 1935. J sAN N 2,016,099

FUSE CUT-OUT Original Filed June 16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICIE FUSE CUT-OUT Application June 16, 1928, Serial No. 285,798 Renewed July 8, 1932 13 Claims.

My invention relates to fuse apparatus and particularly to expulsion fuses wherein a tubular fuse device is enclosed within a housing and is provided with an open end that extends exteriorly through the bottom of the housing for discharging gases incident to the rupture of the fuse exteriorly of the housing.

An object of my invention is to provide an expulsion fuse wherein the housing therefor and the cover are made of insulating material and wherein means are provided for preventing contact of the cover with the housing when the cover is moved to closed position. I

Another object of my invention is to provide an expulsion fuse having the above-noted characteristics wherein the attaching member for securing the fuse enclosure to the cover is engaged by yielding clips carried by the housing for releasably retaining the cover in closed position, the

attaching member being disposed between the fuse terminals.

A further object of my invention is to provide an expulsion-fuse housing to be made of insulating material and wherein the rear wall thereof is provided with a support-engaging portion that is surrounded by a groove for increasing the creeping surface between the side walls of the housing and the support and wherein the top wall and side walls are provided with a bead adjacent the rear wall for deflecting water away from the groove. I

A further object of my invention is to provide an expulsion fuse wherein the housing therefor is provided with a slot extending inwardly from the front face of the housing and through which the open end of the expulsion fuse projects for discharging arc gases exteriorly of the housing, the fuse being mounted upon a cover hinged at the lower end of the housing.

A further object of my invention'is to provide an expulsion-fuse housing wherein the cover is hinged to the housing at the lower end thereof and wherein the hinge detachably supports the cover in operative relation to the housing and is provided with means for preventing accidentalseparation of the cover from the housing during normal operation of the cover.

These and other objects that will be made apparent throughout the further description of my invention are attained by means of the apparatus hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through an iexpulsion fuse embodying features of my invenion.

v v of Fig. 4. 10

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes an insulating housing 6, preferably made of porcelain and provided with a top wall 1, side walls 8, a rear wall 9 and a bottom wall III that is provided with a. slot l l extending inwardly from 15 the open face of the housing for receiving the lower end of the fuse enclosure, to be hereinafter described.

The rear wall 9 is provided with a projecting support-engaging portion I 2 that is surrounded by a continuous groove l3 for increasing the creeping surface between the side walls of the housing and the metal supporting bracket l4 that is attached to the supporting portion l2 by means of bolts I 5 which are embedded in soft- 2 metal blocks l6 cast into recesses I! having roughened surfaces.

The top wall 1, side walls 8 and bottom wall are provided witha continuous bead l8 disposed adjacent the rear wall 9 for deflecting water away from the groove I3, thus ensuring good insulation of the live parts within the housing from the metal supporting bracket.

The housing is provided with a cover l9, preferably made of porcelain and fitting within the hood 2| which surrounds the front face of the housing. The cover is provided with a pair of metal hinge arms 22 that are provided with pins 23 which engage the notches 24 in the hinged bracket 25, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The hinge is of such character that it permits the cover to rotate through substantially 180, in

, moving to open position.v The notch 24 is of ir- The hinged brackets 25 are provided with shoulders 26 and 21 that serve to engage the pins 23 and prevent them from moving out of the. notch 24 in the event-that the cover is released and permitted to drop freely to its extreme open position wherein it is suspended beneath the housing. It has been found that, where shoulders 26 and 21 have been omitted from the notch 24, the cover would sometimes become detached from the hinge by a free opening movement thereof.

The expulsion-fuse enclosure 28 is of the type illustrated and described in my copending application Serial No. 218,041, filed September 7, 1927, and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric 8: Manufacturing Company, with the exception that the open end of the fuse tube thereof is provided with a slot 29 extending longitudinally inward from the open end of the fuse tube through which the fuse strip 3| extends into engagement with the lower fuse contact terminal 32. By reason of this construction, the fuse strip does not project beyond the lower outer end of the fuse tube and the discharge of gases is facilitated.

The fuse tube or enclosure 28 is provided, at its upper end, with a threaded cap 33 which engages a contact terminal sleeve 34, the cap 33 serving to clamp the inner end of the fuse strip 3| into conductive engagement with the terminal 34. The fuse terminal 32 is conductively connected to a contact terminal 35 through the medium of a conductor strap 36.

The fuse enclosure 28 is releasably attached to the cover is by means of a bracket 31 that surrounds the tubular enclosure and is secured to the cover by means of the screws 38 that are threaded into anchor sockets 39 embedded in soft-metal blocks 4| that are secured to roughened recesses in the cover IS.

The bracket 31 is pointed, as indicated in Fig. 3, and is engaged by a yielding latch clip 42 that is re-enforced by a clip 43, both clips being se-,

cured to the rear wall 9 of the housing by means of screws 44 that are anchored in a manner similar to the screws 38. By reason of this construction, the cover I!) is releasably retained in closed position by means independent of the contact members.

When the cover is in the closed position shown in Fig. 1, the contact members 34 and 35 engage, respectively, contact clips 45 and 46 that are secured to the rear wall of the housing, as indicated in Fig. 1, by means of screws that are attached to the housing in the manner described with respect to the screws 38. It will be seen from the foregoing that, when the cover is in the closed position, the fuse contact members conductively engage the contact terminals 45 and 46 which are respectively provided with conductor-receiv ing terminals 48 and 49, as shown in Fig. 1.

In order to prevent the cover I9 from coming into actual contact with thehousing to prevent breaking of the cover and housing, which are made of fragile material, an adjustable cover stop is provided which consists of a threaded screw that is'threaded into the receptacle 45 and which may be so adjusted that it engages the inner side of the contact terminal 34 when the cover is moved to closed position. The movement of the cover is thus arrested before it can actually engage the housing.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown a modified form of cover stop which comprises a metal strap 52 that is attached to the contact terminal 34 and which engages the outermost tips of the contact terminals 45, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. Since the contact terminals 45 are made of yielding material, the shock incident to the engagement of the strap 52 with the contact terminals 45 is cushioned, thus preventing undue shock being I claim as my invention:

1. Fuse mechanism comprising a housing, a cover hinged thereto, a fuse enclosure detachably secured to the cover, and adjustable means carried by the housing and engaging the fuse enclosure for limiting the closing movement of the cover.

2. Fuse mechanism, comprising a housing, a cover hinged thereto, a fuse enclosure, an attaching member encircling the enclosure for securing it to the cover, and a yielding clip carried by the housing for engaging the member for releasably retaining the cover in closed position.

3. Fuse mechanism comprising a housing, a cover hinged thereto, a fuse enclosure having contact terminals adjacent the ends thereof, con- 2;

tact members carried by the housing for yieldingly engaging the contact terminals when the cover is in closed position, an attaching member secured to the enclosure between the said terminals for securing the enclosure to the cover, and a yielding clip carried by the housing for engaging the member for releasably retaining the cover in closed position. v

4. A cutout including a container, a fuse tube having terminals thereon, a pair of terminals for the cutout located in the container each provided with means for receiving a terminal of the fuse tube, a door for the container, means mounted on the door for removably securing the fuse tube on the inside thereof, and spring means in said container movable independently of the fuse tube terminal receiving means and engaging said fuse tube securing means mounted on the door to hold the door closed.

5. In a fuse cut-out, a housing, a door for said housing, a fuse tube having an electrical terminal adjacent each end thereof, said fuse tube being mounted on said door, and means in said housing engaging means on said door adjacent the midportion of said fuse tube intermediate said elec- 5o,

trical terminals and holding said door closed.

6. In a fuse cut-out, a housing, a door for said housing, a fuse tube having an electrical terminal adjacent each end thereof, said fuse tube being 'mounted on said door by means engaging the 55 midportion of said fuse tube intermediate said electrical terminals, and means in said housing engaging said means on said door adjacent the midportion of said fuse tube intermediate said electrical terminals for holding the door closed.

7. Fuse mechanism comprising a housing, said housing including a back, top andside walls, a cover hinged to the housing for closing the front thereof, a fuse enclosure including an insulating tube, a fusible element in the tube, an attaching member fastened to the cover and encircling the enclosure for securing it to the cover, and means including a yielding clip carried by the housing for making latching engagement with said attaching member for releasably retaining the t e eof, a fuse enclosure including an insulating "A tube having a pair of terminals thereon, a fusible element in the tube and connected between the terminals thereon, a pair of terminals in the housing each provided with means for receiving Y one of the terminals on the fuse tube, an attaching member fastened to the cover and encircling V a portion of the enclosure for securing it to the cover, and a yielding clip carried by the housing for making latching engagement with a portion of said attaching member for releasably retaining the cover in closed position, and said clip being yieldable independently of said terminals on the fuse tube and independently of said terminals in the housing.

9. A cutout including a container, a fuse tube having a pair of terminals thereon, a pair of terminals for the cutout located in the container each provided with a contact surface for receiving one of the terminals on the fuse, tube, a door for the container, means mounted on the door for removably securing the fuse tube on the inside thereof, means fastened in the container and through which the door is latched to the container, and one of said means having associated therewith a spring element through which said means fastened in the container is normally latched in fixed relation to said means mounted on the door to hold the door closed, said spring being movable independently of said terminals.

10. A cutout including a container, an insulating tube for enclosing a fuse element, a pair of electrical terminals on the insulating tube and between which the fuse element is connectible, a pair of electrical terminals located in the container, one pair of said terminals including spring biased contact surfaces for engaging the other pair of said terminals, a door for the container, fastening means for securing said insulating tube on the inside of the door, fastening means in the container through which the door is latched to the container, and one of said fastening means having associated therewith a yieldable biased latch element through which said fastening means in the container is latched to said fastening means for securing the tube on the door when said tube is secured to the door and the door is closed, and said latch element being yieldable independently of said spring biased contact surfaces on the terminals.

11. A fuse cutout comprising a housing having a back, top and side walls, a cover hinged to the housing for closing the front thereof, a fuse enclosure including an insulating tube, a pair of electrical terminals on, the tube, a fusible element in the tube and connected between said pair of electrical terminals, 9, second pair of electrical terminals in the housing, one pair of said electri- 5 cal terminals including spring biased contact surfaces for engaging the other pair of electrical terminals, fastening means removably securing said insulating tube on the door to move therewith and make and break contact with said elec- 10 trical terminals in the housing upon opening and closing of the door, fastening means in the housing through which the door is latched to the housing when in the closed position, and one of said fastening means having associated there- 5 with a yieldable biased latch element through which said fastening means in the housing is latched to said fastening means securing the insulating tube on the door, and said latch element being yieldable to permit latching and unlatch- 20 ing of the door from the housing independently of said spring biased contact surfaces on the terminals.

12. In a fuse eutout,-a housing of frangible insulating material including a back, top, and side 25 walls and an open front, a cover for the open front hinged to the housing, a fuse tube mounted on the inside of the cover, and adjustable means for varying the relative position of said housing and cover when said cover is in the closed position and 30 holding said cover outof contact with said housing to prevent damage to said housing when the cover is moved to closed position.

13. In a fuse cutout, a housing including an integral body of vitreous insulating material 35 forming a back, top, and side walls, said integral body of the housing having a front opening, a door for closing the front opening hinged to the housing, a fuse tube mounted on the inside of the door, a pair of electrical terminals on the fuse tube and a fuse link in the tube connected between the terminals thereon, a pair of electrical terminals for the cutout in the housing for receiving said terminals on the fuse tube when the door is closed and from which the fuse tube and link is disconnected when the door is opened, and means adjustable at least during assembly of the door on the housing to keep said door out of contact with said housing when the door is moved to closed position and thereby prevent a damage to the housing.

JEROME SANDIN. 

